We meet Peter Quill as a boy in 1988, listening to pop songs on his Sony Walkman outside his mom’s hospital room.

That night, after she loses her battle to cancer, he is abducted by aliens.

Year’s later, an adult Peter (Chris Pratt) lands on an alien planet, turns on his Walkman and proceeds to dance to the music, even grabbing a nearby rodent to use as a prop microphone for a healthy bit of lip syncing. Then Peter, who prefers to be called “Star-Lord,” steals a mysterious orb and fights his way off the planet in a thrilling sequence.

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These first few minutes are a microcosm for the absolutely wonderful “Guardians of the Galaxy,” perhaps the best movie — certainly the funniest — to come from Marvel Studios and even the Marvel Comics universe. Not only is “Guardians” hilarious from beginning to end, it’s loaded with action and dazzling 3-D visuals, and it even manages to have a heart.

Seriously, this is crazy-good stuff.

The plot is a bit complicated, but it involves a group of rejects from different races getting thrown together to battle a dastardly villain. The heroes, along with Peter, er, Star-Lord, are Gamora (Zoe Saldana), a beautiful and skilled warrior; Drax (pro wrestler Dave Bautista), a revenge-obsessed mass of muscle; Rocket (voiced by Bradley Cooper), sort of a raccoon-human hybrid; and Groot (voiced by Vin Diesel), a walking tree with unusual abilities who says nothing but “I am Groot.”

On the other side of the good-versus-evil clash are Ronan (Lee Pace), a power-hungry villain who has it in for the planet Xandar and its people; Nebula (Karen Gillan), Gamora’s sister; and Thanos (an uncredited Josh Brolin), a mysterious villain wielding power from afar.
Again, it’s a bit complicated, but it turns out that orb that Star-Lord steals contains one of the Infinity Stones. (An Infinity Stone was at the heart of the goings-on in last year’s disappointing “Thor: The Dark World.”) In the wrong hands, the Infinity Stone could be an incredibly powerful weapon.

The heroes come together in a fun way. Rocket and Groot are bounty hunters searching for Peter, while Gamora — Thanos’ adopted daughter — is searching for Peter and the orb, as well. The four end up in a prison, where they meet Drax and because an uneasy fivesome with a common goal of defeating Ronan.

“I’m going to die surrounded by the biggest idiots in the galaxy,” Nebula states at one point.
Written by Nicole Perlman, who took part in a Marvel writers program, and reworked by James Gunn, the movie’s director, “Guardians of the Galaxy” is bursting with fun, inventiveness and energy. OK, so the big battle at the end runs a bit off the rails, but the journey there is so much fun.

What a great job of casting. Pratt (“Zero Dark Thirty,” “Delivery Man”) is a big ball of joy. He’s basically a much more capable version of his “Parks and Recreation” character, Andy Dwyer. It would be impossible to dislike Pratt in this role.

Saldana — cementing herself as the top babe in science-fiction flicks by adding this franchise to the “Star Trek” and “Avatar” series — offsets Pratt nicely. Her Gamora is much more serious and driven, but she and Peter share a believable attraction and grow closer throughout the movie.

Cooper just sounds like he’s having a blast voicing Rocket, who always seems to be overcompensating for his short and unusual form by constructing weapons that are more powerful than needed for the job at hand. And while some credit goes to Cooper, the animators who bring Rocket to life get a big chunk of it, too. At one point, Rocket turns to react to something that’s said and the expression on his face is priceless.

While Diesel (the “Fast and Furious” movies) says “I am Groot” again a and again, he does a nice job of changing up his deliveries, reminding you that his voicework in 1999’s “The Iron Giant” helped make that animated movie a gem.

Bautista, known in the wrestling world more often as Batista, was a nice choice for Drax; he brings an enjoyable dryness to the role.

You wouldn’t have thought Pace had a big bad superhero role in him after his turns on TV series “Pushing Daisies” and “Halt and Catch Fire,” but he’s cold and sufficiently intimidating dressed in a cloak, if not all that interesting.

As fine as all the performers are, though, it’s Gunn who’s the biggest surprise. Who knew the director of 2006’s “Slither” had this kind of movie inside him? He does an unbelievable job balancing character, humor and action.

The great news is Marvel Studios announced at the recent Comic-Con International in San Diego that they will make a sequel, set for a 2017 release. Gunn is said to be attached to direct.

While Marvel will have plenty of releases before that, including next summer’s high-profile “Avengers: Age of Ultron,” we’ll be waiting breathlessly for more Star-Lord and Rocket.

“Guardians of the Galaxy” — rated PG-13 for intense sequences of sci-fi violence and action, and for some language — is in theaters. Running time: 2 hours, 2 minutes. Three and a half stars out of four.

About the Author

Mark is a lifelong Northeast Ohioan and an Ohio University grad. Along with loving music, movies and television, he is crazy about sports and tech. Reach the author at mmeszoros@news-herald.com
or follow Mark on Twitter: @MarkMeszoros.